Agitator-hopper assembly for spool labelers, machines or the like



March 28, 1961 CURRY 2,977,006

AGITATOR-HOPPER ASSEMBLY FOR SPOOL LABELERS, MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MALCOLM CURRY 4 T TORNE VS March 28, 1961 M. CURRY 2,977,006

AGITATOR-HOPPER ASSEMBLY FOR SPOOL LABELERS, MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MA LCOL M CUAR Y ATTORNEXS March 28, 1961 p M. CURRY 2,977,006

AGITATOR-HO SSE Y F SPOOL LABELERS, NES T LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

MALCOLM CURRY March 28, 1961 M. CURRY 2,977,006

AGITATOR-HOPPER ASSEMBLY FOR SPOOL LABELERS, MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 QM Q I ,zw

INVENTOR.

MALCOLM CURRY ATTORNEYS AGITATOR-HOPPER ASSEMBLY FOR SPOOL LABELERS, MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28, 1959,'Ser. No. 789,594

Claims. or. 214-301 This invention relates to machines used to label or ticket thread spools and especially to an arrangement for wa Pa nt feeding these spools into the machine with continuous and -In thread spool labeling or ticketing machines, in which labels are applied to ends of spools,'it is important that the spools be fed uniformly and continuously to the machine so that proper labeling or ticketing of successive spools may be carried out.

Principal objects and features of the invention are the provision of novel agitator-hopper assembly, means into which large groups of spools collected in boxes after completion of thread winding or other earlier operations there on are introduced and intended then to be fed'therefrom by gravity through a spool runway to the ticketing or labeling, or similar machine, the agitation of the spools in the assembly serving to insure continuity and uniformity of feed thereof.

Other objects and features of this invention, therefore, are the provisions of means to insure a continuous and uniform flow of spools into the labeling or ticketing, or similar machine. 7

Further objects and features of the invention are the provision of simple mechanism foreffecting the foregoing objects. V V

Additional objects, and features of the lHVeIltlOIlWlll become apparent from the followingspecification and 2,977,006 Patented Mar. 28, 1961 ice 2 panel 13, said parallel portions being joined by an inclined portion 140. Y I

A front panel 15 preferably of transparent material such as Plexiglas or other nonshatterable synthetic plastic is mounted parallelly with the back panel portion 13a being spaced therefrom by suitable spacers 16, a d istance slightly in excess of the length of the spools S which are to be fed from the hopper 11 to a ticketing or similar machine via runway 12. The spacing permits free rolling movement of the spools S but prevents their being turned end over end betweenback and front panels 13 and'15. A laterally extending wall17 projects forwardly of and at right angles to the front panel 15; this wall has an arcuate- *ly' curved front edge 17 1, or may have any other desired shape. V

Referring now to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, theentrance or mouth 12a of runway 12 is applied adjacent the leading end of floor 14a so that spools S may roll successively directly from floor 14a into the runway.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, a panel 18 is secured hingedly at 19 adjacent floor portion 14b so that it may 1 be swung as a door panel from its vertical position shown the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof wherein: a

Fig.1 is a partially broken away perspective view of the agitator-hopper assembly of this invention; A

Figs. 1a,-1b and 1c are fragmentaryperspective views of successive steps in'the introduction of groups of spools from individual boxes into the agitatorhopper assembly; FigLZ isa se ction taken along the. plane of line 2- 2 of Fig. l; I Fig. 3 is afragrnentary side elevation of the agitatorhopper assembly;

Fig. 4 is a view taken along the plane of 111154 of Fig.3;. Fig. 5 is a view taken along the plane of line of Fig. 3; and

'Figs. 6, 7 and 8, respectively, are fragmentary perspective views of three othe'r modifiediagitatorarrange: ments for the assembly of this invention. p

Referring to the drawing and first to Figs. 1 and 2, the reference character lil'denotes generally the agitatorhopper assembly. This assembly includes a hopper .11,

mounted in juxtaposition with the receiving end 0 1" entrance '12a of a spool-feed runway or chute 12 which is designed to deliver the spools to the ticketing or labeling machine (not shown). v p I & The hopper 11 includesa continuous elongated back panel 13 having portions T14a'and14b respectivelyfforming bottoms fof the forward andrearward 'sections13a and13 b.of the generally rectilinear shape with its longer 7 axis inclined to the horizontal. A floor 14 extends for wardly of theback panel 13. This fioor hastwo parallel in full line, substantially to the position shown in dotted line in Fig. 2 at which time it serves as a receiving platform that rests on front and rear support bars '20 and 20a carried by bracket 21 and 21a extending from the rear panel 13 below floor portion 14b. A spring latch 22 of conventional kind secured to the door panel 18 serveswith catch bar 23secured to'panel'portion 13b to temporarily retain the door panel 18 inits vertical position at which time it lies parallel ith and in front of the said rear panel portion 13b being spaced therefrom a distance sufiicient to permit rolling movement of spools S without end to end turning of the spools.

Inpractice, a container or box B (see Fig. la) preferably of light gauge metal is filled with wound spools S at a spool winding machine (not shown). This box has 'a slidable removable cover C and contains a single layer "of the up-ended spools. This box is placed (see Fig. 1a) on door panel 18 when the latter is in its down position, asseen in Fig. 2, and resting as a platform on support bar 20 "with the cover 'side of the box down. The cover C of the-box B is then slid out or otherwise removed. The box B is then lifted off the spools (Fig. 1b) and thedoor panel 18 is then swung upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1c, and in full line in Fig; 2, and held in this position by latch 22. The spools S now lie in thespac'e be- 'tween 'door 18 and hack panel position 1312. They then may roll freely and rapidly via steeply inclined floor portion 14c into the hopper space above floor 1411 without turning end to end; and then tend to move on floor 14a toward'theentran'ce or open mouth '12:: of runway"12. To insure against the spools arching or jamming at 12 1;, agitation of the spools S in the said hopper space is provided for example in a first embodiment by an'agi'tator 24. This agitator 24, as first shown in Figs. 1 and 3, has segmental shape with'an arcuate laterally extending edge wall 25*and'a radially.directed'laterally extending wall 26. Both walls substantially span'the space between the front and rear panels 15 and 13; The agitator 24 is secured to a shaft '27 which in turn is mounted in a bearing 28 secured to front panel portion 15 so that the axis of shaft 27 coincides with the center of generation ofthe arcuate edge wall 25. A crank '29 is secured to shaft '27 forwardly of panel .15 A link 30 is pivotally connected at 31 to the crank29 andthrough u'ni versal joint ball socket 321:0 a'ball pin 33 extending from anoscillatable' lever 34. This. leverlis pivoted at 35to a fixed frame part 35. A driven eccentric or cam. 37, engages--21 cam follower roller 38' carried by;levelr A biasing means =39.-maintains engagement'between thje' follower roller '38' and cam" 37; Di-iven rotationof the cam 37 in any desired manner thus oscillates lever 34 and causes corresponding oscillation of the spools S in the hopper 11 by the agitator 24. Any other suitable conventional means for oscillating the agitator 24 may be utilized. Likewise any suitable agitation means to prevent bridging or arching of the spool to jam the latter and interfere with their free flow may be used. Alternative agitation means is hereinafter described.

As shown in Fig. 3, the walls 26 and 25 of the agitator 24 during its oscillation serve to give agitational motion to the spools S so that they will not arch over or jam but, instead, tend to gravitate toward the mouth 12a of the runway. The radius of agitator 24, however, is such that the arcuate wall 25 during its agitation always has a portion lying close enough to bottom 14a to define with it an exit passageway P through which only a single layer of spools S may pass from the hopper into the entrance or open mouth 12a of the runway 12. The swinging action of agitator 24 continuously directs or arranges spools in the hopper space to move into this single layer passageway P as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 so that continuity of orderly feed of spools to runway 12 is maintained.

A modified agitator arrangement intended as a substitute for the agitator 24 is illustrated in Fig. 6. In that figure the mouth 12a of runway 12 communicates via opening a in the end Wall of hopper a. This opening 0a is dimensioned to pass one spool S at a time to said mouth 12a. A reciprocable member having a lateral floor part 31 is mounted through the floor portion 14a adjacent said opening. Reciprocation of the member 30 by hand or mechanically in any suitable way across the opening Oa causes its floor part 31 to agitate the spools sothat they will not arch over or jam and will move out one by one through the opening 0a into runway 12.

A further modified agitator arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 7. In this figure the mouth Ob of the hopper 10b which opens into mouth 12a of runway 12 is also dimensioned to permit passage of one spool S at a time. A reciprocable member 32 having a tapered end 33 is mounted at the end wall of hopper 1012 so that its tapered end will periodically close off opening Ob. Manual or mechanical reciprocation in any suitable way of mem ber 32 will permit periodic passage in single file of spools S through opening Ob into runway 12. This reciproca tion will also agitate the spools and prevent arch over and jam.

.Still another modification is shown in Fig. 8. :In this figure the floor portion 34 of the hopper 100 is supported suitably for oscillation about a-fixed pivot 35 ,so that its end may be moved across the opening 00 of the hopper to periodically allow passage of a single spool at a time via, said opening into the runway 12. The floor portion 24 may be oscillated manually or mechanically in any suitable way, and will thereby agitate the spools, thus preventing arching and a jam. at opening 00.

Although specific embodiments have been presented herein, variations in structural detail within the scope of the appended claims are possible and are contemplated. There. is no intention, therefore, of limitation to the exact details shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A hopper assembly of the character described for effecting orderly delivery of rollable articles to a runway entrance, comprising a hopper having an unbroken rear wall, a parallelly disposed front Wall coextensive with aportion of the rear wall, a sloping floor at the bottom of said two walls, an end opening between said Walls adjacent the leading end of said floor and communicating with said entrance and whose dimensions permit suc- .4 the said first-named and said second-named floors, a platform for the hopper mounted to swing pivotally about an axis adjacent said second-named floor from a first position parallel with said rear wall to a second position substantially at right angles to said rear wall and onto which in the second of its pivotal positions a rollable article carrying container may be temporarily placed for unloading of its rollable articles thereon and then removed, said platform then being movable to its first pivotal position to introduce the articles loaded thereon onto the second floor of said hopper whence they may roll rapidly and directly down said steeply sloping floor onto said first-named floor toward said end opening, means for preventing arching over of said articles within said hopper adjacent said end opening and their jamming thereof, agitator means in said hopper, means for oscillating said agitator means, and means including an arcuate wall on said agitator means movable therewith in proximity to the entrance to define a passageway leading to said entrance dimensioned to limit transit therethrough of articles from the hopper as a single layer.

2. A hopper assembly as per claim 1 in which said agitator means has segmental shape and includes an additional wall also movable with said agitator to engage and agitate said articles during such movement.

3. A hopper assembly as per claim 1 in which said agitator means has segmental shape and includes an additional wall extending laterally from an edge contiguous with said arcuate edge and also movable with said agitator means to engage and agitate said articles during such movement.

4. An agitator-hopper assembly for effecting orderly uninterrupted delivery of articles to a runway entrance comprising a hopper having forward and rearward sections, a rear wall, a parallelly disposed front wall coextensive in the forward section with a portion of the rear wall, asloping floor in the forward section at the bottom of said two walls and an end opening in said forward section between said walls adjacent the leading end of said floor and communicating with said entrance and whose dimensions permit successive individual passage of articles therethrough, a second sloping floor at an elevated position relative to said first-named floor in the forward section, a steeply sloping floor between the two sections joining the said two first-named floors, a wall projecting laterally from said front wall at its rearward end, a platform in the rearward section pivotally supported adjacent said second-named floor and pivotable into a first position in parallelism with said rear wall and into a second position substantially at right angles to said rear wall and 'onto'which in the second pivotal position a rollable article carrying container provided with a slidably removable cover may be temporarily deposited for unloading of its rollable article content thereon by removal of said cover and thereafter on removal of said container leaving the articles on said platform, said platform then being swingable to its first pivotal position to introduce the rollable articles loaded thereon into the rearward section and onto the second-named floor of the hopper whence they may roll freely and rapidly down the steeply inclined floor onto said first-named floor into said forward section and toward said end opening and into said entrance and means within said forward section for agitating said rollable articles to prevent their arching adjacent said end opening. 7

5. A hopper assembly of the character described for effecting orderly delivery of rollable articles to a runway entrance, comprising a hopper having forward and rearward sections, an unbroken rear wall, a parallelly disposed'front wall. coextensive in the forward section with a portion of the rear wall, a sloping floor in the forward section at the bottom of said two Walls, an end opening in said. forward section between said walls adjacent the leading end of said fioonand communicating with said entrance and whosedimensions permit successive individual passage of articles therethrough, a second sloping floor in the rearward section at an elevated position relative to the first-named sloping floor, a steeply sloping floor between the two sections joining the said first-named floor and said second-named floor, a wall projecting laterally of said front wall at its rearward end, a platform for the hopper in the rearward section mounted to swing pivotally about an axis adjacent said second-named floor from a first position parallel with said rear wall to a second position substantially at right angles to said rear wall and onto which in the second of its pivotal positions a rollable article carrying container provided with a slidarticles so loaded thereon onto the second floor in the rearward sectionof said hopper whence they may roll rapidly and directly down said steeply sloping floor onto said first-named floor in the forward section of said hopper toward said end opening, and means for preventing arching over of said articles within the forward section of said hopper adjacent said end opening and their iamming thereof. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Molins et a1. Aug. 5, 1952 

